China issues this year's first red alert for typhoon

China's National Meteorological Center issued a red alert, the highest level, for Typhoon Gaemi at 10 am Wednesday. This is the first red alert for a typhoon issued this year.

Typhoon Gaemi, the third typhoon of this year, was located 70 km southeast of Taiwan's Yilan County at 5 pm Wednesday, according to a red alert renewed by the center at 6 pm Wednesday.

The typhoon is forecast to travel northwestward at a speed of 10 to 15 km per hour and make landfall in the coastal areas of Taiwan Island on Wednesday night.

It is expected to make a second landfall between Thursday afternoon and evening along the coast between Xiuyu and Lianjiang in Fujian Province after crossing the Taiwan Island, according to the center.

The typhoon will subsequently move northward with decreased intensity, the center said.

From 8 pm Wednesday to 8 pm Thursday, rainstorms will lash the southeastern part of Zhejiang Province, most of Fujian Province as well as Taiwan Island, said the center.

The center advised local authorities to prepare for the typhoon by ordering ships to return to ports, suspending outdoor activities, and remaining on high alert for possible floods and geological disasters. China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center on Wednesday afternoon issued a red alert for storm tides in Fujian Province's Fuzhou City, and an orange alert for storm tides in the city of Wenzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province as well as cities of Ningde and Putian in Fujian Province.

The center advised local authorities to make necessary preparations for disaster relief work, cease production and operation activities at sea, suspend school classes and businesses in affected areas, strengthen inspection and maintenance of seawalls and water gates, and prevent secondary disasters caused by storm tides.

The Ministry of Water Resources on Wednesday issued a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in the Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and dispatched two work teams to the provinces to guide the prevention and relief work for the typhoon, rainstorms and flooding.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters activated a Level-IV emergency response for flood control in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Wednesday, as heavy rainfall is forecast to hit the city from Wednesday to Thursday.

The headquarters also upgraded the emergency response for flood control to Level III in the provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian.

A Level-IV response is the lowest level in China's four-tier emergency response system.